December 5, 2019
Vickie Shields
Henderson, the New Silicon Valley? 
On November 15th I hosted two special guests, recent college graduates Claire Shields and Zach Daley, to share their experiences successfully working in tech companies. Zach graduated with a degree in Visual Communication Design in 2014 and currently works as a lead designer for Overstock.com in Salt Lake. Claire graduated with a degree in Communication and a minor in Visual Communication Design in 2016 and is currently a digital marketer for Cricut. Prior to this position, she has been a social media and marketing specialist at three tech companies: Bliss Business, Usana, and OC Tanner.
 
Claire and Zach spoke to the following groups: students in NSSA, Communication, and Visual Media; the Data Science search committee; and stakeholders in the proposed new department of Visual Media Design, Communication, & Data Technology. In the conversations that ensued, they answered questions about their experiences interviewing for their various positions (Zach is in Seattle interviewing for Expedia now!); how having a B.A. benefitted their careers, as opposed to an A.A. or certificate; what was missing from their B.A. degrees that they had to pick up on their own; some of their best advice to students who want to go into the tech, communications, or digital analytics fields; the ways their work-life intersects with data science, informatics, or analytics on a daily basis; and their recommendations for building a Data Science or Data Analytics degree from the ground up.
 
It was exciting to glean insights and perspectives from Claire and Zach on how we might build our new Data Science degree and expand the Visual Media and Communication programs to help our students thrive in data and tech industries.
 
Thanks to two of my favorite people and all the campus stakeholders who joined in the conversation.

Promotion and Tenure Update
The Promotion and Tenure Committee is currently reviewing candidate portfolios. They will forward their recommendations to me by January 3, 2020. Following my review, I will make recommendations to President Patterson by January 17, 2020. By January 29, 2020, candidates will be notified in writing and President Patterson will forward his recommendations to the Board of Regents for announcement and conferral at the March BOR meeting.
Tony Scinta
A Potpourri of Projects
The last week or two has been punctuated by incremental progress on a number of different initiatives. The more notable work includes:
  • Discussions with faculty about a dual admissions program with CSN and WNC that would allow students to be admitted to CSN and NSC simultaneously;
  • Conversations about the future of our dual credit program with CCSD (another “dual” naming convention, but this is where high school students take classes that earn both high school and college credit);
  • Continued work with Aaron Wong on our developing proposal for a Data Science degree;
  • Discussions with key stakeholders about course scheduling and degree pathway considerations;
  • Development of strategic initiative requests and other materials (e.g., operating budgets) for this year’s budget cycle;
  • Initial analyses of the return on our investment when it comes to NSC’s Scorpion Scholarships;
  • Discussions with faculty about how we might revise our math curriculum in the face of the NSHE mandate to eliminate remedial courses by fall 2021.

Between now and the next update, I’ll be attending the Board of Regents meeting (this week) and the annual convening of Complete College America (next week). I expect to have more to say about these meetings in the future.
Gwen Sharp
Teaching Tip
At the November NWCCU conference, I attended a session by Dr. Kelly Hogan, co-author of " Want to Reach All of Your Students? Here's How to Make Your Teaching More Inclusive." She shared techniques she's used successfully. One example: have students respond to a prompt on an index card, then swap cards 2-3 times with other students before asking volunteers to read the responses. She's found that students are less nervous about reading someone else's answers, since they won't be personally embarrassed if the answer is wrong.

Grant Submission
Congratulations to Dr. Jennifer Edmonds (Environmental & Resource Sciences) for submitting a proposal for a Silver State Wings Conservation Fund grant! If awarded, the funds will support a field trip to Beatty, NV, for students to work with faculty and Audubon Society volunteers on active learning exercises related to ecology and conservation.

Student Awards
Several NSC students recently presented their research at the Southern Nevada American Chemical Society (SN ACS) annual poster competition. Fadel Boumelhem won 1st place in the undergraduate competition, and Marina Vanderburg won 2nd. Both work with Dr. Zach Woydziak (Chemistry). Adam Clurman, who does research with Dr. Jennifer Edmonds (Environmental & Resource Sciences) received an honorable mention.

Thank you to all of the faculty who supported our students with their independent research projects, and to Dr. Amber Howerton (Chemistry) for her service work with the SN ACS!
Gregory Robinson
An Online Class about Online Classes
Sierra Adare-Tasiwoopa Api (CTLE) created an online class that guides students through all the challenges of online learning. We're hoping to launch this class for all students in the spring. Take a look and let us know what you think.

Get Literary with NSC Students and Faculty
On Tuesday, December 10, from 6-8PM in RSC Ballroom A, Dr. Molly Appel’s Human Rights and World Literature students will collaborate with the Blue Sage Writer's Guild to host an evening celebrating the Arts of Human Rights Storytelling. Also, Angel Brommel, NSC’s Executive Director of Arts & Culture, is reading from her new book at the Writer's Block on Friday, December 13 th from 5:30 to 6:30PM.

Procrastination Defeated!
The Long Night Against Procrastination (LNAP) had 227 participants this semester. That's a 34% increase over our highest previous attendance: 
  • Spring 2019: 164
  • Fall 2018: 169
  • Spring 2018: 125
  • Fall 2017: 113

In other Writing Center news:
  • Eduardo Mabilog was elected as the sole tutor representative for the International Writing Center Association (IWCA).
  • Rachel Herzl-Betz was elected as the IWCA affiliate representative for the Rocky Mountain Region, which includes Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, and New Mexico.
  • Four Writing Specialists will present research at the 2020 Southern California Writing Center Association Conference at UCLA: Torrie Martin, Eimy Vesquez, Nicole Benson, and Eduardo Mabilog.
Course Assistant Kourtney Dean Student Profile
Here is one of our amazing students in the Course Assistant Program:

My name is Kourtney Dean and I am a senior Speech-Language Pathology major/ Deaf Studies minor here at Nevada State College. I am originally from Saint Louis, Missouri, but moved here just after graduating high school. I have been working in the Course Assistant Program in various roles since 2016. I started as an English Course Assistant and went on to become a Course Assistant Peer Mentor, working to support Course Assistants in the program. ( Read her entire profile.)
Stefanie Coleman
Scholarships Available
NSSA has approved funds for scholarships. Please review the information below and help spread the word to your students. 

Butterfly Scholarship ( application form)
  • 8 scholarships of $2,000 for DACA and Undocumented Students
  • Eligibility/Requirements:
  • 2.75 minimum GPA
  • Completed application (basic contact info and responses to two essay questions)

Stinger Scholarship ( application form)
  • 4 scholarships of $1,000
  • Eligibility/Requirements: 
  • 3.2 minimum GPA
  • Fewer than 60 credits earned as of the end of Fall 2019 semester
  • Completed application (basic contact info and responses to three essay questions)

Applications will be accepted until January 3rd with the goal of disbursing for the Spring 2020 semester. 

Chorale Group
The NSC Chorale/Ensemble will sing Christmas carols in the café at 12:30pm on December 5th and will be singing "Silver Bells" at Ethel M’s Factory on December 16th. If you know students who want to participate in the choir, please have them contact Frankie Corredor ( francisco.corredor@nsc.edu).

Housing Information Available
There is now a link on the NSC website for student housing. General information and updates regarding housing will be available on this page. Floorplans, pricing, and amenities information is current. All inquiries go directly to Shanice Noel ( Shanice.noel@nsc.edu), the general manager, who will reside at that property full-time.

DRC/CARE Team
In collaboration with the Disability Resource Center (DRC), Nevada State College is offering closed captioning and transcription services for educational purposes. Closed captions or transcripts enhance learning and allow for a greater number of students with diverse learning needs to access a variety of media content. Closed captions also provide an equal learning experience for students who are Deaf or hard of hearing. Learn more about closed captioning here!

Sharneé Walker and Laura Hinojosa have been offering a Campus Wellness Refresher presentation about the ways they can help the campus community support our students. Attendees were given a laminated instruction sheet regarding what to do when dealing with a student in an emotional crisis. If you would like an instruction sheet, please send me an email at Stefanie.coleman@nsc.edu.

We are now in the holiday season, signaling the end of the semester. This is when students often begin to realize they are losing the race with procrastination, reality, and denial. Sometimes, panic appears and may manifest in a way that has you concerned. If you have students who are struggling with finishing the semester successfully, please continue to encourage them to finish strong, speak with their instructors and academic advisor, and utilize our many support services that help our students stay the course.
Sandip Thanki
NSC's current dashboard has accumulated over 16,000 views since its launch. While it remains a valuable tool in retrieving information, we recognize that it has a significant learning curve. In an attempt to make this information easier to access, we've created NSC Insight - a streamlined, user-friendly dashboard. It even has a mobile version, so you can pull NSC data while you are waiting in line at Starbucks. As with all dashboards, this is a work in progress. If you have any feedback about the layout or the data, please write and let me know.
Key Dates
  • 12/13/19: Campus holiday party, 4:30-6:30 p.m. in the RSC ballrooms
  • 12/17/19: Rosters for winter session courses open at 10 a.m.
  • 12/18/19: Fall course grades due by noon
  • 12/23/19: Participation verification for winter session courses due by 3 p.m.
  • 1/27/20: Undergrad Research & Creative Works Conference begins accepting submissions
NSC Office of the Provost | 702-992-2663 | http://nsc.edu/provost
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